Kiwanuka takes pay cut, freeing up $2M in cap space

By John Fennelly | Mar 17, 2014 | 6:46PM

Giants' DE Mathias Kiwanuka is chipping in to the effort to help make the team better. He agreed to a decrease in salary, freeing up approximately $2 million in cap space for the Giants.

From USA Today's Tom Pelissaro via Twitter:

Mathias Kiwanuka restructured his contract with NYG. Took a $2.175M pay cut and created $2.05M in 2014 cap space... Kiwanuka's base salary dropped from $4.375M to $1.5M. He also gets a new $700K roster bonus, can earn back $125K in incentives.

Kiwi had a down season in 2013, recording 41 tackles with six sacks. He signed a four-year, $21.75 million contract in April of 2012.

John Mara hopes Eli Manning returns to Giants in 2018

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New York Giants owner John Mara stands on the field watching the team warm up before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Sept. 11, 2016, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth) (Michael Ainsworth/AP)

Despite the turmoil that has engulfed the Giants during their 2-11 season, highlighted by the benching of Eli Manning and ultimately the firing of head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese, co-owner John Mara wants to see his two-time Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterback return in 2018.

Landon Collins' season isn't over yet. But the end may be coming soon.

The Giants are still considering whether to shut down their star safety for the final three games after he re-injured his ankle on Sunday afternoon, according to interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo. Collins has been playing through a high ankle sprain since Week 5, and it he aggravated it on Sunday in the Giants' loss to the Cowboys.

Spagnuolo had already indicated on Monday that they might put the 23-year-old on injured reserve "to protect Landon from himself."

Davis Webb will remain the Giants' third-string quarterback this week, and he likely won't be activated on Sunday afternoon.

But one week from Sunday - on Christmas Eve - it's possible all that may change.

Giants interim coach Steve Spagnuolo opened the door on Wednesday for the 22-year old Webb to make his first career start on Dec. 24 in Arizona. He made no promises, of course, and it's possible it hasn't even been discussed among the coaching staff and decision-makers yet.

Gettleman may be favorite, but Giants GM search will be extensive

he Giants are expected to begin their search for a new general manager in earnest next week, and they will likely begin with an old friend.

But even if Dave Gettleman is the first to be interviewed, he won't be the last.

Though there is strong speculation around the league that the Giants will eventually hire the 66-year-old Gettleman -- who worked for the Giants as a scout, the pro personnel director, and a senior pro personnel analyst from 1998-2012 -- the truth is they intend to cast a wide net in their search, according to a team source...

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McShay's first Mock Draft has Giants selecting UCLA QB Josh Rosen

12:01PM

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(Kirby Lee)

The Giants will select UCLA QB Josh Rosen with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, predicts ESPN's Todd McShay.

The Giants' quarterback situation has been in flux all season, and with the aging Eli Manning under center, they need to be looking to the future. Enter Rosen, who McShay touts as the most NFL-ready quarterback entering the draft in April.

New York Giants Today: December 13

New York Giants quarterback Davis Webb during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson) (Winslow Townson/AP)

The Giants (2-11) lost to the Cowboys, 30-10, on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Here's what's going on today...

Need to Know

The Giants are not rushing to find a GM replacement.

Eli Apple could be disciplined by Giants, NFL after tweeting on sideline Sunday

Keep an eye on SNY Giants throughout the day for the latest news, notes, and opinon on Big Blue...

Giants sign OL Damien Mama, WR Hunter Sharp, more roster moves

Dec 12 | 4:06PM

The Giants announced multiple roster moves on Tuesday, including the signings of WR Hunter Sharp and OL Damien Mama.

Both players are eligible to make their debut with the Giants' this Sunday against the Eagles.

Sharp comes over from the Broncos' practice squad, where he has spent time throughout the season. He was promoted to the active roster on Oct. 18, but later released and re-signed to the practice squad.

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Manning expresses sympathy for Carson Wentz

Dec 12 | 9:14AM

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Giants QB Eli Manning can't help but to feel sorry for Eagles QB Carson Wentz, who is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

Wentz left his game against the Rams on Sunday after a hard hit as he dove into the endzone. An MRI revealed a torn ACL, and despite the Eagles clinching the NFC East with the win in L.A., they lost their starter who was making a great case to be the league MVP this season.

Wentz's injury shocked everyone throughout the league, including a division rival in Manning.

Eli Apple could be at a crossroads in his career

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The fall has come fast for Eli Apple, from first-round draft pick loaded with potential, to a suddenly troubled NFL player in the midst of a turbulent year. He's been benched, declared inactive, shunned by some teammates. He's had to deal with his mother's health crisis, and a slew of injuries of his own.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Steve Spagnuolo is a longshot to be the Giants' head coach next season, because it's hard to envision John Mara endorsing anything that resembles the status quo. Maybe a few wins would improve his chances. Maybe.

But that's not going to happen if he continues playing ultra-conservative football. What the Giants need -- what Spagnuolo needs -- is to think big and bold.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The damage has already been done to Eli Manning. His feelings were already hurt. His streak was already snapped. The Giants already looked like clowns for the way they handled things.

Now that it's over, they need to take advantage of the miserable situation they created.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Whatever good feelings there were inside the Meadowlands at the start of Sunday's game were completely gone by the end of it. The fans that bothered to stick around were either booing or cheering the Cowboys. For the Giants, it was just another miserable loss.

But they've reached the point in their season where they can win for losing, and on Sunday they did. Their 30-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, plus the San Francisco 49ers' 26-16 win in Houston, helped solidify the Giants' position in the 2018 draft, where right now they'd have the second pick.

Big fourth quarter fuels Cowboys to 30-10 win over Giants

Dec 10 | 4:13PM

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GEICO SportsNite: Giants lose00:01:21

Giants quarterback Eli Manning and interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo discuss the team's limp effort in its 30-10 loss to the Cowboys.

The Giants and Cowboys were neck-and-neck throughout a divisional matchup on Sunday, but Dak Prescott threw a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and Dallas ran away with a 30-10 win at MetLife Stadium. >> Box score

With Dorsey off the board, Dave Gettleman becomes favorite to be Giants new GM

Former Giants executive Dave Gettleman is emerging as the favorite to become the next Giants general manager, especially now that another top choice - former Chiefs GM John Dorsey - has been hired by the Browns.

Gettleman and Dorsey had been the top two names on the list of former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi, who is consulting on the Giants' search, as SNY reported last week. But Dorsey came off the board on Tuesday when the Cleveland Browns fired their executive vice president, Sashi Brown, and quickly tabbed Dorsey as his successor.

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Vacc's Week 14 Preview: Giants vs. Cowboys, Sunday at 1 p.m.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) passes the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) (Nick Wass/AP)

Geno Smith's father received death threat over son's start last Sunday

Dec 8 | 11:48PM

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(Cary Edmondson)

Geno Smith's father, Geno Smith Jr., received a death threat in the wake of his son's start against the Raiders last Sunday, per The Post's Hannah Withiam.

It was another day at work for Smith Jr. when he got the call from his son that he would be making the start against the Raiders. However, soon after, Smith Jr. would receive a death threat from an anonymous caller last Tuesday.

"I was just at work," Smith Jr. said. "I answered and he was like, 'Geno? Is this Geno?' I was like, 'Yeah.' He was like, 'Your son better not start or we're going to kill you.' I kind of just laughed and then he hung up."

GEICO SportsNite: Spagnuolo wraps up his first week as interim coach

Dec 8 | 11:21PM

Steve Spagnuolo describes his first week of practice as interim Giants coach.

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Odell Beckham Jr. will return to the sideline on Sunday

Dec 8 | 7:37PM

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Giants star WR Odell Beckham Jr. will make his return to MetLife Stadium for the team's Week 14 game against the Cowboys on Sunday.

Beckham has been at the Giants facility all week as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired ankle. He sustained the injury during the Giants' Week 5 contest against the Chargers at MetLife Stadium.

The biggest storyline of the game this week is the return of Eli Manning to his starting role, and like many, Beckham wants to see his quarterback succeed. There are expected to be many former players in attendance to watch Manning return under center for the Giants.

Pierre-Paul says he will play through hand injury, more on injury report

Jason Pierre-Paul suffered another injury to his already mangled right hand, but he insisted he will be ready to play against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.

He made that declaration on Friday after practicing for the first time this week. He did not give any details about how he suffered the injury, or if was football-related. But he had the middle finger of his right hand tightly wrapped, and mostly kept it in his pocket during his interview.

Former Giants RB Jennings retires with 'no regrets'

New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings speaks on radio row at the Super Bowl LI media center at the George R. Brown Convention Center. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Rashad Jennings has told the story before of how he was once a chubby 6-year-old with asthma and some seemingly unlikely NFL dreams. He thought of that kid again on Friday, as his eight-year NFL career officially came to an end.

"It's not every day you can ask a kid that's 6 years old and say, 'What do you want to do when you get older?' and you talk to him at 32 years old and he tells you that's exactly what he's been doing," Jennings said. "And because of that I'm full, I'm complete, I'm humble. I have no regrets. If I could rewind the tape, I would do it the exact same way."

Giants interim head coach/defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will rely on offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan and QB Eli Manning with certain things on the offensive side of the ball, he told reporters on Thursday.

Odell Beckham Jr. continues to compare his emotions with Tom Brady

Dec 7 | 11:23AM

Beckham took to Twitter on Monday to call out a double standard based off the emotion both him and Brady exude during games. Brady was seen yelling at his offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, on Sunday and Beckham pointed out that he wasn't scolded by anyone for it.

He said on Monday that he is just trying to emulate Brady's passion on the field, and he posted a video to Instagram to show that comparison...

Davis Webb unfazed by Giants quarterback situation

Dec 7 | 9:05AM

Ralph Vacchiano gets reactions from the Giants after it was announced that Eli Manning would be starting for the Giants on Sunday.

With the news that Eli Manning has once again been named the Giants' starting quarterback, rookie Davis Webb again finds himself on the outside looking in.

Just one week after ex-coach Ben McAdoo benched Manning in favor of Geno Smith while simultaneously opening up the possibility of Webb receiving playing time to see what the club had in the rookie from Cal.

After McAdoo's firing on Monday, interim coach Steve Spagnuolo reversed course and reinstated Manning as the Giants' top QB with Smith sliding into the backup role once again.

Former Giant Justin Tuck continues to keep close tabs on his old team.

With the firing of head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese coming on the heels of the Eli Manning debacle, the 34-year-old knows what type of personality he wants to see roaming Big Blue's sideline next season at MetLife Stadium.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There was a time when Steve Spagnuolo imagined being the head coach of the Giants, and maybe even hoped for the chance someday. He remembered that on Wednesday, as he conducted his first practice as the interim coach.

Geno Smith not happy to lose starting role, but understands why

New York Giants quarterback Geno Smith looks to throw a pass against the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. (Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - When Geno Smith survived the firestorm created last week when he replaced Eli Manning as the starting quarterback of the Giants, he never imagined the decision would be reversed one week later.

And he wasn't happy when it was.

"I wasn't," Smith said on Wednesday, one day after he found out that his streak of consecutive games as the Giants starting quarterback would end at one. "Any competitor wouldn't be. To be put in that situation where you get a chance to play and then you're being pulled, but it's not because you played bad so you try to figure out why. But you've got to understand that some things happen in this business, and you've just got to roll with it."

Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas has been placed on season-ending injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.

The 30-year-old Casillas has been dealing with wrist and neck issues, which forced him to miss Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Raiders. Casillas had missed three consecutive games earlier this season with neck soreness.

Giants' Eli Manning flip-flop further clouds the Davis Webb situation

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) passes the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) (Nick Wass/AP)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Giants are doing their best to undo the mess they've created, by giving Eli Manning his starting job back. It's the right thing to do, and the only way to really quell the mob building at their gates.

But what ever happened to their grand plan to take a look at their younger quarterbacks? Is that suddenly just not important anymore?

That's a reminder of just how badly the Giants continue to bungle the whole Manning Mess, and just how lost and dysfunctional this franchise has become. A week ago their season was lost, they were eying a Top 3 draft pick, and they were insistent -- from ownership on down -- that it was time to take a look at the young quarterbacks on their team...

Spagnuolo went with his gut when reinstating Manning as the starter

The DNL panel discusses Giants interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo's decision to start Eli Manning against the Cowboys on Sunday.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The first decision Steve Spagnuolo made as interim coach of the Giants will likely be his biggest, and he didn't really have to give it much thought.

When Spagnuolo decided to reinstate Eli Manning as the starting quarterback of the Giants, he simply went with his "gut."

"All I can tell you is this," Spagnuolo said in his first press conference since taking over for the fired Ben McAdoo. "When John Mara and I talked, one of the first things he asked me was about the quarterback situation and I said, 'John, my gut right now is that Eli should be the starter.'

Ben McAdoo thanks Giants for 'taking a chance' on him

Dec 6 | 4:12PM

New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo, right, talks to team owner John Mara during NFL football practice, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (Julio Cortez/AP)

Ben McAdoo, who was fired as Giants head coach on Monday along with GM Jerry Reese, released a statement on Wednesday.

"It was a privilege and an honor to serve as the head coach of the New York Giants and be a member of the organization for four years," McAdoo said. "I thank the Mara family, the Tisch family, and Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin for taking a chance on a first time offensive coordinator and enabling me to take an important step in my career."

After becoming head coach in 2016, McAdoo went 13-16, which included the playoff loss to the Packers last season.

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Eli Manning returning as Giants' starter on Sunday

Geno Smith will be the No. 2 QB, with Davis Webb No. 3

The DNL panel discusses how the Giants might choose to move forward after the dismissals of Jerry Reese and Ben McAdoo.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive: After his streak of 210 consecutive starts at quarterback for the Giants was snapped on Sunday, Eli Manning's streak of consecutive games as the Giants backup quarterback will end at one.

Former Giants center Chris Snee knew his bond with Eli Manning was unwavering after seeing him shaken up on national TV following the news he would be benched.

Manning's 210 consecutive start streak ended last week when Geno Smith took over the starting role. When Snee -- who was at personnel meetings with the Jaguars where he is a consultant -- saw the video, he admits he was emotional.

"When I saw the hurt and emotion on his face and in his eyes it triggered something with me and the rest of my teammates," Snee told the NY Post's Paul Schwartz. "These are the bonds we will always have together, the love we have for each other and what we think of Eli. There's a way to go about doing things and that's not the way I would have gone about doing it."